Michigan hockey lawsuit: Former players allege years of sexual abuse, hazing
Former University of Michigan hockey players sue, claiming sexual hazing
More than a dozen former hockey players are suing the University of Michigan. They say their coach and other staff were aware of sexual hazing that included the forced shaving of their genitals and other abuses by teammates decades ago.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Board of Regents are being sued by 16 former school hockey players.
The students, who played for Michigan between 1984 and 2011, allege sexualized hazing became a systematic part of the Michigan hockey program.
Michigan hockey lawsuit
Big picture view:
More than a dozen former hockey players are suing the University of Michigan. They say their coach and other staff were aware of sexual hazing that included the forced shaving of their genitals and other abuses by teammates decades ago.
Dig deeper:
The plaintiffs are 16 men who played at Michigan between 1984 and 2001. Nearly all attended on athletic scholarships, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit apparently grew out of conversations among several former teammates in 2024.
The other side:
The university said the allegations are "disturbing," but denies responsibility.
"To the extent any former student athlete engaged in hazing or other misconduct, they were violating university policy," spokesperson Paul Corliss said in a written statement.
"The university first adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982. It was one of the first universities in the country to do so, and it has earned its standing as a leader in this area," he said.
Paul Corliss from the University of Michigan wrote a statement:
"The allegations outlined in the plaintiffs’ complaint are disturbing, but many elements of the complaint are misleading. The former student athletes, who attended the university more than 25 years ago, describe behavior at the hands of fellow teammates that allegedly happened in the 1980s and 1990s. To the extent any former student athlete engaged in hazing or other misconduct, they were violating university policy. The university denies that it is any way responsible or liable for the claims alleged.
"The university first adopted an official anti-hazing policy in 1982. It was one of the first universities in the country to do so, and it has earned its standing as a leader in this area. Today, all university student athletes are required to complete annual training on university policies and protections against hazing, discrimination, and other forms of misconduct. We are committed to an environment of safety for all of our students."
Who is Red Berenson?
Big picture view:
Red Berenson is a former University of Michigan Hockey Coach from 1984-2017. He is named in the lawsuit 79 times, alleging that he failed to report what players were doing.
Allegations in the lawsuit
Dig deeper:
The 72-page document describes that sexual hazing became a systematic part of the UM Hockey Program surrounding freshmen initiation. It described that players endured forced genital shaving, sexual humiliation, forced drinking, simulated sexual acts and penetration with razor handles.
Timeline:
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that these were not isolated incidents, but recurring rituals that went on for years, taking place from the 1984-85 season through 1998-99.
What they're saying:
Filings allege former Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson knew about, condoned and in some cases directed parts of the hazing. One allegation is that Berenson taught players to shave freshmen only "from the neck down," which in the documents, plaintiffs say they kept evidence of the hazing hidden beneath clothing.
Court documents also allege Berenson knew hazing had initially occurred outside hockey facilities and directed that the rituals occurred privately inside hockey facilities.
The complaint makes allegations involving former staff members, like assistant coach Mel Pearson, trainers and equipment staff.
Some staff members allegedly witnessed or knew about the hazing and failed to stop it, documents allege. One accusation in the documents says that when one player called for help from Pearson, with the assistant coach telling him to "keep your head down" and get through it.
The lawsuit says that plaintiffs tried to complain about the "traditions," with one saying he complained to trainer Rick Bancroft and was essentially told not to "rock the boat" and to be a "good teammate," with no investigation or actions following.
Among the Plaintiffs is John Doe 16, who claimed in the lawsuit that he went directly to Michigan’s athletic director and described the initiation and his emotional distress. It claims the athletic director then told Berenson about the complaint without the player's consent. Berenson then allegedly cut the player's ice time.
John Doe 16 characterizes this incident as retaliation that harmed his hockey career.
Reactions from Ann Arbor
"I do think that any sort of instance that is reported from students to any sort of team coach or manager or athletic director or anything need to be taken seriously and investigated and any sort of action that is necessary to stop that kind of behavior needs to happen," said State Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor). "That seems to me like we could set some minimum standards at the state level of what must be reported in documented and then what must be investigated and how it must know the information must be maintained. I think we could set some minimum standards and then schools could implement that how they need to do it further on campus."
"Just building the rapport with the therapist and talking about normal everyday things might be a couple of months and just learning some basic coping skills and some basic communication skills and that may solely feel comfortable to open up about the experience, and it’s about recognizing that it’s not their fault," said licensed therapist Amee Briney. "It was they were not the person in the charge, they were not the person in power and part of is is learning about forgiveness."
What they're asking for
What's next:
The lawsuit seeks past and future damages, punitive and liquidated damages, attorney fees and costs, and other equitable relief. The Plaintiffs also requested sexualized-hazing prevention training for all Michigan athletes.
They also demand a jury trial.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a sex discrimination lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit.